Wrist watch with changeable case

ABSTRACT

A wrist watch which has an encased movement provided with a crystal, a sidewall, a bottom and a winding crown, and which includes a reversible housing center part as retaining member equipped with stems for fastening to a watchband, and presenting in its bore a spring wire, seated in a circular groove, as fastening means for the movement, which spring wire pushes into a circular groove in the movement.

O United States Patent 1151 3,695,031 Loeb 51 Oct. 3, 1972 [54] WRISTWATCH WITH CHANGEABLE 712,287 10/1902 Fitzgerald ..58/89 CASE 712,28810/1902 Fitzgerald ..58/89 896,633 8/1908 Fitzgerald ..58/89 [72] Invent3 2212 523?, yfi egf gg" 3?: 2,955,357 10/1960 Vebelhardt. ..ss/ss R IZefland FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [-221 Filed: 1971 279,36811/1951 Switzerland ..yss/ss R [21] Appl. No.: 204,836

Primary Examiner-Richard H. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Geor e H.Miller, Jr. [30] ForeIgn Application Priority Data Attorneymldimon &Limos Dec. 8, 1970 Switzerland ..18168/70 [57] ABSTRACT [g2] (g1."SB/gill; A wrist watch which has an encased movement [58] F1 .ld G 88 wvided with a crystal, a sidewall, a bottom and a wind- 1 le 0 arc58/8991 ing crown, and which includes a reversible housing center partas retaining member equipped with stems for fastening to a watchband,and presenting in its [56] References d, bore a spring wire, seated in acircular groove, as UNITED STATES PATENTS fastening means for themovement, which spring wire 712 285 10,1902 Fitzgerald /8 pushes Into acircular groove in the movement. 7123286 10/ 1902 Fitzgerald... ..58/8910 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 5 ]4 13 I %;;T & J.

all/1 I lia -12s ZF !1l l i-ga-Ei p\\ 7 1|! There is known a watch withtwo faces, each having a dial, with the local time being indicated inthe usual manner on the one face by at least one hour and one minutehand and the hours of the comparative time, such as Greenwich time,appearing by jumps in a window of the other face and the correspondingminutes being indicated by the rotation of a minute hand. The samespring movement is the driving force. An axially movable winding crownis provided for each dial to set the time independently.

DESCRIPTION The wrist watch according to the invention is characterizedin that the housing center part is formed of a front and a rear facewith the same bore and different appearance, that one of the faces isequipped with an assembly member projecting radially inward and beingspring loaded in that direction, and that a depression is provided atthe cylindrical portion of the movements sidewall each on a differentside of the central retaining groove for said assembly member to engage.

One embodiment of the object of the invention is shown in theaccompanying drawing wherein,

FIG. 1 is a cross-section taken on line l--I of FIG. 2,

f and FIG. 2 is a top view of the wrist watch.

The wrist watch includes an encased movement 1. The movement is providedwith a crystal 2, a sidewall 3, a bottom 4 and a winding crown 5. Areversible housing center part 6 provided with stems 7 for fastening toa watchband, is provided as retaining member.

In its bore, the housing center part 6 has a spring wire 11 seated in acircular groove 10, as fastening means for the movement 1, with thespring wire pushing into a circular groove 9 in the movement 1.

The housing center part 6 is formed of a front and a rear face part 6bmay also be provided with groove and tongue-shaped turnings and beinterconnected by pushing them together or these parts 6a and 6b mayalso be connected by pinning them together.

The two face parts 6a and 6b may be made of differen metals s as to 'vethem a different a earance. The esired di erent a ppearance of the twoFace parts 6a and 6b may be brought about by treating their surfacesdifferently and/or by different ornamentations.

When reversing the housing center part including the watchband, forinstance for conversion into a Sunday watch, the movement 1 must bepushed out of the housing center part 6 with the thumb and reinserted atthe opposite face of the center part 6. Therefore, the assembly member14 at the housing center part 6 and the depressions 13 of the movement 1are advantageously provided on top, i.e. at the figure 12.

lclaim:

l. A wrist watch comprising an encased movement having a sidewall, abottom and a winding crown, a crystal on said movement, a reversiblehousing center part, stems on said housing center part for fastening awatchband thereto, said housing center part having a bore and a circulargroove, a spring wire seated in said groove, said movement having acircular groove with said wire seated therein, said housing center parthaving a front and a rear face part with the same bore and rear facepart 6a and 6b, respectively, with the same bore and differentappearance. The face part 6a is equipped with an assembly member 14which projects radially inward with a spring pushing it in thatdirection against the movement 1. The latter is provided at itscylindrical sidewall 3, on both sides of the central retaining groove 9,with depressions 13 each for the assembly member 14 to engage. Theassembly member 14 may be a pin with a spherical bearing surface or aball.

The bottom 4 of the movement 1 may be provided with a radiallyprojecting flange which serves as stop when inserting the movement 1into the housing center part 6.

To simplify the design of the housing center part 6, the winding crown 5is provided in a segment-shaped cutout 8 in the cylindrical portion 3 ofthe movement 1.

The front face part 6a and the rear face part 6b of the I housing centerpart 6 are joined to each other rigidly and concentrically. Theconnection can be made either by glueing or soldering. The front facepart 6a and the different appearance, an assembly member carried by oneof said face parts and projecting radially inward and being springloaded in that direction, and said sidewall having depressions eachprovided on opposite sides of said circular groove for the assemblymember to engage. 4 e

2. Wrist watch according to claim 1, wherein a winding crown is providedin a segment-shaped cutout in said side wall of said movement.

3. Wrist watch according to claim 1, wherein said two face parts aremade of different metals.

4. Wrist watch according to claim 1, wherein the machining of thesurfaces of the two face parts is different.

5. Wrist watch according to claim 1', wherein said two face parts areprovided with different ornamentations.

6. Wrist watch according to claim 1, wherein said front face part andsaid rear face part are joined to each other rigidly and concentrically.

7. Wrist watch according to claim 6, wherein said front face part andsaid rear face part are glued together.

8. Wrist watch according to claim 6, wherein said front face part andsaid rear face part are soldered together.

9. Wrist watch according to claim 6, wherein said front face part andsaid rear face part are interconnected by tongue and groove-shapedturnings and pushed together.

10. Wrist watch according to claim 6, wherein said front face part andsaid rear face part are connected by pinning them together.

1. A wrist watch comprising an encased movement having a sidewall, abottom and a winding crown, a crystal on said movement, a reversiblehousing center part, stems on said housing center part for fastening awatchband thereto, said housing center part having a bore and a circulargroove, a spring wire seated in said groove, said movement having acircular groove with said wire seated therein, said housing center parthaving a front and a rear face part with the same bore and differentappearance, an assembly member carried by one of said face parts andprojecting radially inward and being spring loaded in that direction,and said sidewall having depressions each provided on opposite sides ofsaid circular groove for the assembly member to engage.
 2. Wrist watchaccording to claim 1, wherein a winding crown is provided in asegment-shaped cutout in said side wall of said movement.
 3. Wrist watchaccording to claim 1, wherein said two face parts are made of differentmetals.
 4. Wrist watch according to claim 1, wherein the machining ofthe surfaces of the two face parts is different.
 5. Wrist watchaccording to claim 1, wherein said two face parts are provided withdifferent ornamentations.
 6. Wrist watch according to claim 1, whereinsaid front face part and said rear face part are joined to each otherrigidly and concentrically.
 7. Wrist watch according to claim 6, whereinsaid front face part and said rear face part are glued together. 8.Wrist watch according to claim 6, wherein said front face part and saidrear face part are soldered together.
 9. Wrist watch according to claim6, wherein said front face part and said rear face part areinterconnected by tongue and groove-shaped turnings and pushed together.10. Wrist watch according to claim 6, wherein said front face part andsaid rear face part are connected by pinning them together.